Red Wings zeroing in on another title

Detroit, Osgood blank Pittsburgh again to take 2-0 series lead

Ira Podell, Associated Press

Published
4:00 am PDT, Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Detroit Red Wings Valtteri Filppula flies through the air after he scores on Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (back) during the third period in Game 2 of their NHL Stanley Cup final in Detroit, May 26, 2008. REUTERS/Shaun Best (UNITED STATES) less

Detroit Red Wings Valtteri Filppula flies through the air after he scores on Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (back) during the third period in Game 2 of their NHL Stanley Cup final in Detroit, May ... more

Photo: SHAUN BEST, REUTERS

Photo: SHAUN BEST, REUTERS

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Detroit Red Wings Valtteri Filppula flies through the air after he scores on Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (back) during the third period in Game 2 of their NHL Stanley Cup final in Detroit, May 26, 2008. REUTERS/Shaun Best (UNITED STATES) less

Detroit Red Wings Valtteri Filppula flies through the air after he scores on Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (back) during the third period in Game 2 of their NHL Stanley Cup final in Detroit, May ... more

Photo: SHAUN BEST, REUTERS

Red Wings zeroing in on another title

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If the Red Wings keep up this pace, the next time they perform back in Hockeytown will be along a parade route.

With timely offense and perfectionist defense, Detroit is not only beating the Pittsburgh Penguins, it is shutting them out.

Led off by first-period goals from Brad Stuart and Tomas Holmstrom, the Red Wings topped the Penguins 3-0 to take a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night.

Puck-possessing Detroit held onto it all night and registered 34 shots. After a 19-save effort in a 4-0 win Saturday, Chris Osgood stopped 22 in a rocking-chair game and earned his third blanking of these playoffs, the 13th of his career.

"I play the game as it comes," Osgood said. "I love playing behind these guys. I don't need 40 shots to play the game or to feel good. I'm confident regardless. I'm not really into stats too much, just into winning."

"We just have to execute," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. "Did they really get that many scoring chances on us? I don't think they did. They got a few and put them in. We hit a post, and pucks go through us by the net that we don't put in. That's the difference."

Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien complained about obstruction by the Red Wings and diving by Osgood. The Penguins were whistled for two goalie-interference penalties, one of which quickly negated a Pittsburgh power play.

"He's a good actor," Therrien said. "I know our players are frustrated right now. It's tough to play the game, but Osgood did the same thing against Dallas.

"Our team never goes to the goalie. We never did it, and we don't target the goalie. You want to talk about experience, he goes to players, and he knows what to do, I guess."

Unlike Game 1 when the teams played a scoreless first period, the Red Wings came out flying. Showing none of the nerves Detroit coach Mike Babcock said his team had in the opener, the Red Wings got goals from Stuart and Holmstrom 4:23 apart.

Pittsburgh was outshot 8-0 and allowed the two goals before getting a puck on Osgood. It managed only six shots in the first period.

"They're staying up at the blue line, and one guy is coming back hard," top-line forward Marian Hossa said. "It seems like they're everywhere. Usually we have the puck, but now we're chasing the puck. That is not our game."

"It's really tough to generate offense against that team," Therrien said. "They're good on obstruction. It's going to be tough to generate any type of offense if the rules remain the same. It's the first time we're facing a team that the obstruction is there, and we're having a hard time skating when they take away ice."

Evgeni Malkin showed no signs of breaking out of his slump that seemingly came from nowhere. Flanked by wings Maxime Talbot, new to the line, and Petr Sykora, Malkin was pointless for the fourth time in six games and had no shots on goal.

The often-overlooked Osgood owns the Red Wings record with 50 postseason victories, ahead of Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk, and is nearing his third Cup with Detroit - two as the starting netminder. He is the first to post shutouts in the first two games of the Finals since New Jersey's Martin Brodeur in 2003 against Anaheim.

Briefly: Osgood hasn't allowed a goal in 137 minutes and 33 seconds, dating to Game 6 against Dallas in the Western Conference finals. ... Of the 31 teams to win the first two games of the Finals at home, only the 1971 Chicago Blackhawks failed to win the Cup.